As soon as dawn came, the reconnaissance planes of the First Task Force took off. Prior to this, reconnaissance aircraft of the 2nd Task Force also left the flight deck of the aircraft carrier. At this time, the distance between the two task forces was only about 80 nautical miles, and the reconnaissance plan was arranged by Hao Dongjue, and it was sent over in the second half of the night. In order to enable the commanders of the two task forces to accurately grasp the battlefield situation, all the reconnaissance planes used the communication channels of the first task force, and the second task force also arranged several radio stations to receive reports from the reconnaissance planes. In this way, no matter which reconnaissance plane discovered the enemy fleet, the two task forces would be able to receive the reconnaissance report at the same time and make arrangements for attack.

The attack plan was also arranged by Hao Dongjue, and this was a preliminary plan, which was actually a number of sets of operational plans drawn up for various possible scenarios. For example, if the US Fifth Fleet is relatively close to the First Task Force, then the First Task Force will go all out to organize the first round of bombing and move closer to the Second Task Force at the same time, and then the Second Task Force will be responsible for the air defense of the two task forces and organize a second round of bombing. After withstanding the counterattack of the US Fifth Fleet, the next bombing operation was organized. Of course, this is only one possibility, because it is impossible to accurately judge which situation may occur, so Hao Dongjue has made arrangements for all possibilities.

In other words, although Hao Dongjue has now become the commander of the Second Task Force, to a large extent, Hao Dongjue is still a bit like Tan Renhao's chief of staff, and he is the chief of staff of the two task forces, specifically responsible for the aviation operations of the fleet, the only difference is that now Hao Dongjue does not need to worry about the daily affairs of the First Task Force, and at the same time he is not on the same battleship as Tan Renhao.

Tan Renhao didn't worry about these things, and in fact, he didn't worry about the internal affairs of the First Task Force. Zhu Rongzhe's ability as the new chief of staff is worthy of recognition, and his attitude is quite rigorous, and he does everything meticulously, which almost makes Tan Renhao unable to find fault. After saving these hassles. Tan Renhao concentrated his energies on how to deal with the actions of the US Fifth Fleet, but the problem was that by the early morning of 1 May, he still had not received any information on the activities of the US Fifth Fleet.

Intelligence is the biggest headache for all commanders on the battlefield, and when there is no intelligence, it will be difficult for the commander to make decisions, and even if there is intelligence, the accuracy and credibility of the intelligence itself must be doubted. Talking about the importance of Renhao's deep emotional retribution, but also the uncertainty of retribution. Ever since the U.S. Fifth Fleet bombed Wake Island. Tan Renhao never received any relevant information again. Long Zhen had already dispatched dozens of seaplanes from nearby islands to search the waters around Wake Island several times before finally determining that Spruance had left. The question is, where the hell did Spruance go?

The only thing that makes Tan Renhao certain is that Spruance led the Fifth Fleet to operate near Nihua Island for a few days, consuming thousands of tons of ammunition and tens of thousands of tons of fuel, and then made a long trip to Wake Island. Spruance did not return to Pearl Harbor, and the size of the US Fifth Fleet was not small. Three task forces. Nine aircraft carrier battle groups, the submarines of the Imperial Navy deployed outside Pearl Harbor will not all miss such a large fleet, and no submarines have recently been "missing" outside Pearl Harbor. Therefore. Spruance was refueled somewhere else, most likely Christmas Island to the south.

These are all inferences from Tan Renhao, according to which the U.S. Fifth Fleet will definitely need to resupply after bombing Wake Island, at least fuel. Comparatively, refueling is much easier than ammunition. Fuel was liquid cargo that could be piped from a supply ship to a battleship. Therefore, if the fleet only refuels, it can find a calm sea. Complete refueling during the voyage. Then it is unlikely that the US Fifth Fleet will return to Christmas Island, but will resupply on the way north, which will not delay the fleet's combat operations.

That said, Spruance was most likely heading north at this time. So, how would Spruance react when he received the news that Kauai had been bombed? Will it be a direct battle with the Imperial Navy, or will it be a bystander? Tan Renhao prefers to believe in the latter possibility. The intensity of the 30-day bombing has proved that the five aircraft carrier task forces of the Imperial Navy are operating in the waters near Kauai Island, and the long-range reconnaissance planes and bombers of the US military have also spotted the fleet many times, which can make Spruance understand that the deployment of these five task forces is quite intensive. Even if the US Fifth Fleet rushes to attack, it will eventually be counterattacked fiercely, and it will not take much advantage. Spruance is unlikely to go straight north and will be on the sidelines of the battlefield waiting for an opportunity. So, what opportunity is Spruance waiting for, and where will he be waiting for it?

To the south of the Hawaiian Islands, there is Johnston Island, and then thousands of nautical miles away is the Lane Islands. If Spruance had stayed in the Lane Islands, it would have been even better, and the US Fifth Fleet would not have been able to arrive at the battlefield in time, let alone go around to the north of the Hawaiian Islands to launch a surprise attack. Johnston Island is within 700 nautical miles of Gardner and Lysan Islands, and HNA shore-based reconnaissance planes are already patrolling there, so it is unlikely that Spruance will stop there. The only possibility is that Spruance is still on his way and is trying to avoid the fleet of the Imperial Navy and bypass the eastern part of the Hawaiian Islands!

Tan Renhao made some measurements on the chart, and then made a rigorous calculation. If the Fifth Fleet sails toward Hawaii Island at a U.S. military standard speed of 16 knots after leaving the waters near Wake Island, it will be able to reach the vicinity of Hawaii Island in five days, that is, on the night of May 2 or the early morning of May 3. If it had sailed at a maximum cruising speed of 24 knots, it would have taken only three and a half days, that is, in the early hours of May 1, to reach the waters off the island of Hawaii. Counting the increased range of circumventing the submarine cordon halfway, it will arrive during the day on May 1. If the fleet does not enter Pearl Harbor to refuel, it will take at least a day to refuel during the voyage, provided that there are enough supply ships. Replenishment should not be a problem, which means that on May 2, the Fifth Fleet will be able to bypass Hawaii Island and reach the waters north of the Hawaiian Islands. In this way, the fourth day of May will be the fastest. By May 5 at the latest, the Fifth Fleet could reach the waters north of Kauai and pose a threat to the Imperial fleet that was bombing Kauai.

Thinking of this, Tan Renhao broke out in a cold sweat. The landing fleet is expected to arrive between May 4 and May 6, when hundreds of ships will be clustered in the narrow sea between Kauai and Nihua Island, and it will be very difficult to protect so many warships at the same time. In addition, the landing time was tentatively set for 6 May, and the Marines would be disembarked by 8 May at the latest. Spruance has plenty of time to prepare for a sneak attack, perhaps he needs to deal with not the main fleet of the Imperial Navy, but the extremely vulnerable landing fleet and transport fleet, as long as the landing operation of the Imperial Navy on Kauai is delayed, then Spruance will have more opportunities and more time to fight.

What made Tan Renhao feel the most headache was that Spruance would not necessarily go north, he could have stayed in the waters near Hawaii Island and waited for him, and killed him from the Hawaiian Islands, if the Fifth Fleet sailed at full speed. At most, one night will be able to enter the sea area that will strike the landing site west of Kauai. And all the time operating under the cover of shore-based fighters, the fleet was able to receive the tightest protection. In addition, the shore-based fighters of the US military were capable of driving out the reconnaissance aircraft of the Imperial fleet. It will be even more difficult to find the Fifth Fleet.

In addition, Spruance can also choose to stay in the south, not close to the Hawaiian Islands at all, as long as Tan Renhao focuses his defense on the north and east, then he can quickly sneak attack the landing field, take out the landing fleet and transport fleet, and the Imperial Navy without the Marine Corps will not be able to take down Kauai, and the bombing campaign in the early stage will lose all meaning. At that point, Spruance could turn around and withdraw from the battle, or head east into shore-based fighter cover. Wait until the Imperial fleet catches up and then strike a reflexive blow and work with shore-based bombers to take out a more powerful opponent.

Changing positions, Tan Renhao himself will also adopt this tactical arrangement of active defense. On the surface, the defending side is in a passive position, but in reality, Spruance can change from passive to active. The attacking side is passive in attacking Kauai, and the island must be taken, which limits the attacking side's initiative in the campaign, on the contrary. The defending side can take advantage of the attacker's passivity and take the initiative on the battlefield, or at least in battle, to win the victory. So, how to deal with the threat of the US Fifth Fleet?

All morning, Tan Renhao was thinking about this problem repeatedly, he did not meddle in the reconnaissance work, and asked Zhu Rongzhe to come to him after receiving important news. Now he had to concentrate on judging Spruance's tactical intentions and tactical actions, and if he couldn't determine the whereabouts of the Fifth Fleet, he wouldn't be able to win the battle below. Before lunch, Zhu Rongzhe sent a message, which was not reported by a reconnaissance plane, but from Han Shaofeng.

The landing fleet had left Midway Island on the afternoon of 30 April and was expected to reach the waters near Nihua Island on the night of 2 May. Tan Renhao's five-day pre-firepower preparation will be completed on 4 May, that is, the landing operation can be launched on 5 May, which is one day earlier than the previous plan 1.

"The convoy will also arrive by May 5, and as long as the Marines take control of the landing site, the convoys will be able to deliver supplies." Zhu Rongzhe put the telegram on the chart table, "In addition, the HNA side is also ready that if it plans to land on May 5, the Strategic Strike Force will bomb Kauai Island from the morning of May 4 and suppress the large US airfield on Oahu." ”

"What do you want from Han Shaofeng?" Tan Renhao sat down.

"For us to be ready to cooperate as soon as possible, the fleet must complete the replenishment as soon as possible."

Tan Renhao pondered for a moment, and the landing was ahead of schedule, which required the fleet to revise its battle plan, and at the same time, it also asked the first task force and the second task force to return to the battlefield as soon as possible, and take turns with Huang Xiaotian's fleet to support the marines.

"The preparations for the Marine Corps are basically in place, and Long Zhen will also rush over on May 3 to command the landing operation together with Fang Xiaoxian."

"Or are you going to open two landing fields?"

"Yes, but the distance between the two landing sites will be shortened to five kilometers, and efforts will be made to open up the ground connection between the two landing fields on the first day, and encircle the US field airfield north of the junction, and seizing the airfield is the key to the first phase of combat operations. The HNA side has specially prepared four squadrons of fighters, and as soon as the Marine Corps repairs the airfield, the fighters of these four squadrons will be transferred over immediately, and then our pressure will be greatly reduced. ”

"Well, it seems that Han Shaofeng is also impatient." Tan Renhao nodded slightly, "Go and contact the Second Task Force, the action of the two days will remain unchanged, the fleet will return to the anchorage of Nihua Island on the evening of May 4, advance the supply time, and then prepare for the next stage of combat operations." ”

In the next three days, the reconnaissance planes of the two task forces were all dispatched to search all the surrounding waters within a radius of 350 nautical miles. Every day, Huang Xiaotian would send the battle report of the Third Fleet, and Chang Jianxin would also send the battle report of the Third Task Force.

During these days, none of the four fleets operating in the north were idle. During the day, three aircraft carrier task forces took turns to go into battle, and hundreds of bombers and hundreds of fighter planes flew three sorties almost every day, dropping batches of ammunition on US military installations on Kauai. The Third Task Force mainly concentrates its activities at night, because the bombers are not very efficient at night and are vulnerable to attacks by US bombers during the day.

By the afternoon of 4 May, after recovering the last batch of reconnaisance planes, Tan Renhao also ordered the fleet to return. Liao Hanxiang personally sent a telegram saying that the landing time had been advanced to the morning of 5 May, and the weather forecast showed that the weather conditions in the next few days would be relatively good, which was conducive to the landing operation. After a few days of drifting at sea, Tan Renhao also had to give up the idea of annihilating the US Fifth Fleet before landing on Kauai Island, and he had to be careful at every step in the next step, without the slightest negligence or mistake.